| Author | Message | ||
     Awprior |
All, I recently had a friend diagnosed with a pretty serious form of cancer which developed as a tumor in the left lobe of his brain. The tumor was surgically removed, and he will be starting radiation therapy later in the month in an attempt to remove the remaining malignant cells. The prognosis and survivability of the particular type of cancer is not very good, 20% at 5 years. I am the president of my fraternity at school, Pi Kappa Alpha, of which this kid (23) is an alumni member of. We do quite a bit of different community service and benefit events throughout the year. One thought that a friend had was a ride to raise money for cancer research, basically as many miles as we can collectively ride during a given period of time. I'm planning on visiting Newfie in August, and was thinking of making the trip from my house in southern PA to southern CA, then to Newfoundland, essentially covering continental North America from the southwest to the northeast. I was wondering if anyone has done a trip like this in the past, and what planning went in to it. I was thinking of making the trip (somewhere around 8000 miles) in 10-12 days. Obviously I need to plan for an oil change or two, have the Buell in good condition, and plan for the minor problems that may come along. The best course of action would likely be have every stop planned, and a list of contacts such as the RAN in case I run into any problems. What advise do some of you have before planning a trek like this? I know Court has spent a 'significant' amount of time mounted upon an S2, and I've seen Blake's adventures from NJ to TX and Newfie spent quite a few miles on his S1 coming to East Troy this summer. I am very serious about this trip, helping my friend out, and hopefully benefitting cancer research in the future in whatever ways possible. Alex | ||
| Koz5150 |
Five bucks says you should be able to find lodging pretty cheap. There are a lot of Buellers on this board that got a true open door policy. If you need a garage to do an oil change or any other work feel free to swing by my place in Milwaukee. | ||
| Dynarider |
8000 miles in 10-12 days is a hell of a lot on any bike. Im usually wiped after 700 or so a day. As Koz said..lodging & a place for oil changes could probably be done for free just from the folks here on badweb. Name your dates & route & lets see what happens. | ||
| Firemanjim |
Might be tempted to ride a leg with you,depending. | ||
| Cowboy |
You will need to make sure that your trip is layed out so that the rear tire of your choice is available when needed. I know I would burn 2 on my bike on a trip like that. | ||
| Ferris |
Alex, your estimated miles vs. time is the stuff of Iron Butt legend, which is to say a brutally tough nut, even for the "pros". you're basically looking at back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back 1,000 mile (+/-) days. whew. that won't be fun, that'll be war. that said, i know your heart's in the right place, and if you want to do this trip bad enough, you know you will. not sure exactly where you're headed in SoCal, but you've already got my home address (Lake Isabella is about a three hour ride north of Los Angeles), and i'll e-mail you a couple of contact phone numbers. mi casa, su casa, for maintenance, lodging, or otherwise, and if this deal DOES come off, Denise and i would be honored to ride with you a spell. she and i transcribe oncology reports every day for a living, and have a fair idea of what your buddy is up against. please tell him we're pullin' for him. FBaD | ||
| Blake |
You'll be needing a rear tire before you make it home too, and you'll be close to needing a new front. I'd filll her up with fresh synthetic and a top quality new filter and leave the oil alone. Keep it from dropping below the minimum mark, don't try to keep it topped up. Long range touring like that is extremely easy on the oil. My honest opinion is that your plans are WAY too ambitious. Even at 8,000 miles in 12 days, you are looking at 667 miles/day on average. That's going to amount to a good twelve hours on the road. That is too much in my opinion. Put the bike in the back of your truck and head for the hills. | ||
| Darthane |
Ditto what Koz said. I've got a garage, tools, and a place to sleep for any Bueller that comes through my neck of the woods (Detroit). Hell, sometimes I can ever be convinced to throw a meal or two into the deal. Bryan | ||
| Crusty |
Alex, Your cause is noble and your heart's in the right place, but do you know what you're proposing? Have you ever done a 1,000 mile day? How did you feel the next day? I've done several long rides, and it's a lot tougher than you think. What bike will you be riding? does it have good wind protection? How's the seat feel after 600 miles? How about your hands and wrists? Do you have a training program to get ready for the ride? Are you aware that the trip will not be fun, that it will become very hard work? With that said, I have a couch, a garage with tire changing capabilities, a fair amount of tools and I'm willing to help out in any way I can. I'll give you a free oil change. It won't hurt anything, and it only takes a few minutes. I would suggest that you increase your time frame, however. Why ride to Newfoundland, if you won't have time to see and enjoy what's there? | ||
| Newfie_buell |
I don't think thats all that bad, Just be sure to keep up on your fluids - personally and bike during the hot States and Provinces. My unfortunate incident (DAMM ISOLATORS) while going through Michigan and having repaired in Up-State New York made me switch to the Synthtic Oil. I am sure you will get the support you will need. I have a garage with full complement of tools if necessary when you hit the island and let me know in advance of what kind of fluids your running and I can have it on hand. If you need a tire let me know ahead of time and I can arrange for one of the retailers to have one on hand, you can ship one to me (I know a great spot in New Brunswick that sells tires way below what others charge), or we can arrange to have one here waiting for you. If you make it this far I will throw in a steak and a cold one. I would keep the days to 600-700 miles, on the day I did 1000 miles I actually dozed off on the bike and thank GOD for real big bugs and very straight roads in Ontario. I remember going into a trance like daze and when the bug hit the face shield and I snapped back to life. I immediately pulled over and rested for about 15-20 minutes in the cool night air. I honestly can't remember the previous stretch of road I just had passed on. The funny thing I was about 20 miles from my final destination for that night. I figure I had been on the bike for 18-20 hrs that day. Be Safe. ONE LAST THING: Make sure your BELT is in GOOD SHAPE as you would not want to be left stranded anywhere with a busted belt. I really do not have much faith in them and I have to say the big chain I switch to has more than restored my faith in the final drive system on my S1. | ||
| Awprior |
Looking back on it, I think I definitely undershot the required time. Back to the drawing board on that one. I'm still in the thinking stages of this one, nothing is certain as of yet. Alex | ||
| Mikej |
Do more local trips to work the bugs out of your system. Do a run south and back in a weekend. Keep track of oil loss. Pack camping gear and minimal cooking gear. Tires may or may not be a concern since I got 11k on my first set. When needing to click off many miles in a limited set of time hit the superslabs. Invest in a Camelback system, but you don't have to wear it on your back, in a tank bag works fine too. Another option if you're time constrained is to use some service like DailyDirect and ship your bike to SoCal and then fly there. Then do the bike ride from there northeastward. Or just save up and if possible take a whole month off and do the whole ride on the bike. There's an old biker/trucker mojo theme about ranging. You get into a groove and after a bit it becomes habit, and when it does you'll go antsy if you sit somewhere too long and will get the itch to get moving again. Some liken it to a lone wolf always on the move loping along, never fast, never slow, always moving, and clicking off miles upon miles. Get to know yourself and the ride, get into the flow, go. Everybody is different. Some hit the road at the crack of dawn and are camped before sunset. Others range around in the morning and don't hit the road until 10 or so and then ride until way past sunset. Either or both can click off many miles in a day. Do it your own way, what works for you. The goal is two-fold, the destination, the ride, but the process is personal, as is the reason for the ride. The goal of raising funds for cancer research can be handled in a variety of ways. Perhaps do a Pony Express Run, taking an item from your friend along for the ride. Photos of the item in front of places along the way, signatures collected from various people along the way, instead of soliciting funds perhaps bring along a bunch of donation cards for people to send in. I don't know, lots of ideas and ways to do things, just throwing out some random thoughts. Excuse me now while I reboot both my mind and this system. For some reason I'm gettin' antsy and my throttle hand is twitching and I need to go take a walk before I explode and try to hit the road again. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
If you want to see how it's done check this guy out, he's done the world including the US hope this helps, best of luck.  http://www.nicksanders.com/ | ||
| M1combat |
If you use Hwy 40 through AZ at all I've got an extra bed and whatever else you might need. I have a standard craftsman tool set that seems fairly complete. I'm about 40 miles south of Hwy 40 though so I may not be the best contact in AZ but if you need anything... Also, if you're headed through AZ I'd be glad to ride with you... | ||
| Henrik |
A few suggestions; - make really good plans way ahead of time; such as day to day planning of distance and lodging (maybe with friendly Buellers) - ship out a depot of parts/oil/filters/tires you will need, to where you estimate you will need them. Schedule to have that particular service done the minute you arrive. - have a stash of spares in a central location, from where they can be shipped anywhere on your route (hence the pre-planning) necessary and arrive within 24 hours. - Crusty mentioned physical conditioning - *very* good point. - make all the necessary modifications to make the bike fit you perfectly. If anything bothers you a little after a 500 mile day, it will be killing you after a few 6 - 800 mile days. Things like footpeg location, seat comfort, handlebar pull-back/droop/angle will make or break a long distance ride. - it's not the lack of speed, but the duration of your stops that will kill your daily mileage. Plan and practice making your stops as short as possible. the Iron Butt website has a great Tech section including the Archive of Wisdom. An almost necessary read for long distance riding. If it sounds a bit like planning a military operation, it's because it almost is  Henrik | ||
| Bomber |
there will be fist fights to see who gets the honor of putting you up, feeding you, and servicing your bike in the greater Chicago/Milwaukee megolopigis . . . . . give a shout for help in our area, or any other, I imagine . . .. . . planning is key to any endevour . . . . put youself in the shoes fo the folks planning the normandy invasion or the first Mercury shot, and go from there . . .. actually, the planning can be a major part of the fun | ||
| Viros |
Alex, what you’re planning on doing is real tough but is possible. The best thing I can tell you is expect the unexpected. Weather can screw up you plans and have a big impact on things, so can mechanical problems. In the end this might end up costing you close to $2000 dollars between lodging, gas, meals, and other unexpected expenses, so make sure the money you raise is well above that. Planning well ahead would make a big difference since you could get lots of support already waiting for you along the way. I did 5425 miles last year in 13 days which you can read about here: http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/6817/36224.html?1063039276 I average around 20K miles a year which made me well prepared for this. I know im well capable of doing the kind of trip your planning on and we are the same age so don’t let know no one tell you, you can’t do it. Also if you’ve never ridden 667 miles or 12 hours straight you will definatly need practice before heading out. That kind of riding on a daily basis takes its toll on your body & mind, but with strong desire & mindset you can over come that. | ||
| Ocbueller |
Alex, Count on me for any support. SteveH | ||
| Daves |
Of course you have help in Waterloo if you need us! Ride to the edge! Dave Iowa HD/Buell (Buell Cycle Center) | ||
| Stingaroo |
Alex, your insane. How did I know that letting you ride my bike almost four years ago would lead to this. Welp, you can count me and the old man in, hell you know where all the tools are in our shop. You may want to ditch that D&D for that V&H pipe I gave ya, or you will be numb and deaf! I pray for the best for Matt, I remember you telling me stories of him, as well as that hilarious phone call on the way to the Gap. I would love to ride with you, however, some training and job obligations probably wont let that happen. Drop a line off to Cheese about it, maybe get some backing from them. Yet again gentlemen, I am amazed by all of the outpouring of advice and reaching out to help one another. Brian P.S. Are you taking your bike back to school? If yes, we can hit the twisties up here, depending on how the weather is when you come through. | ||
| S2rider |
Alex, As a member of the IronButt Association and the first person to complete a 100CCC (Jacksonville to San Diego and back to Daytona in 84 hours) I have a little bit of understanding of what you are about to try. This will give me a chance to answer an e-mail from a friend about the same type of ride at the same time. I'll answer as if I were about to make the ride you are talking about and how I would prepare. The first thing you should do is go to www.ironbutt.com and read the archive of wisdom. Read it, Learn it, live it, then read it again. I'll also say that even with my experience and background in long distance riding, I would not do this trip unless I was able to do several 1000 miles days in "training" since it has been a few years since I did any endurance touring like this. That is not to say that you can't or should not do it, only you can make that call. The bike first. Make no changes for at least 1000 miles before you leave on this trip, NOTHING. If you are going to have trouble on the road, it WILL be the last thing you installed or changed. IronButt riders have a major service done a couple of months before the big ride and only install new tires and change the oil before they head out. Oil changes, run synthetic oil and don't worry about it again until you get back. Add oil if it gets down, but forget about charges on the trip. There is a very valid reason for this, but it Will take some explaining another time. Tires, you will be riding several hours per day and that means the tires never cool off and heat cycle. Heat cycling makes tires harder and last longer. This means your tires will wear faster than you are used to. If you run in rain, tires wear faster since the tire slips with each power pulse. More so at slower speeds on v-twins. When downshifting, gear down but do not release the clutch between gears. You will be amazed at how much longer tires last if you don't. Put new ones on before you go, and be ready for new ones about half way through the ride, maybe 2/3 of the way through. Riding gear, the best thing you will do is have gear that is one piece, weather resistant,(nothing is waterproof after 10 hours in the rain) and well ventilated riding suit. Aerostich is the suit of choice for IronButt Riders. Tons of pockets, very weather resistant, provides superior abrasion protection, and padding in all the right places. If it is hot, close it up and fill the pockets with ice. Open the vents and you will swear you have air conditioning. Two face Shields for your helmet, one clear, one dark. You will be riding at night and a dark shield at night sucks out loud. Three weights of gloves, light medium, heavy winter. Even if it is summer, you will need them all. WaterPROOF boots, nothing sucks worse than 12-16 hours on the bike with wet feet. Even if the rest of you is wet, keep your feet dry. Have you ever worn your helmet for 16 hours??? Trust me you WILL know exactly how well it fits after your first 1000 mile day. I have thrown helmets away on the road and bought new because it was killing me after 12 hours. Have you ever worn ear plugs with your helmet? It WILL change the fit and you will be getting fitted for hearing aids if you do not use ear plugs on your ride. Ear plugs will help you stay alert on the ride. Wind noise will wear you out after about 5 hours. This make a HUGE difference in your ability to ride long distances. I've invested a over $100 in custom fitted ear plugs and they are worth EVERY PENNY for long distance riding! How much is YOUR hearing worth? Clothes and gear to take along on the trip. Save all your old socks, underwear, pants, and shirts you might be thinking about throwing away starting now. Pack those and as you use them, throw them away. Don't carry your old dirty laundry on the bike. If you must, only pack enough for about 4 days. Wash them one time and then start throwing them away. Another option is to send half of what you think you will need to your midpoint. When you get there throw the old stuff in the box and mail it home. Tools and stuff. most of the following things are critical. Tire repair kit. The stop-N-go plug gun is the best money can buy. I've plugged holes you could stick two finger through with this thing to get me to a shop. Don't forget a way to inflate the tire after it is plugged. 4-6 of the biggest cable ties you can find. Try the electric company service trucks, they have some HUGE ones. If you have a flat that can not be fixed, you can cable tie the tire to the rim with 4-6 of these and get down the road to help. It will be a strange ride, but it beats melting in the desert. If you can't find cable ties big enough, carry an extra roll of duct tape. It can be used for the same thing. Carry water, at least 2 quarts and DRINK IT. Dehydration sucks and will end your ride. Tools, a couple of screw drivers, adjustable wrenches of a couple of sizes, some allen wrenches, DUCT TAPE, electrical tape, cable ties, Leather-man tool. cell phone with national plan, and one credit card with no balance on it, and a big fat wad of CASH!. At least two AA sized mag lights. If you have a headlight (tail light too) out at night, you can duct tape them to your helmet of fairing if needed. Spare batteries, it WILL be farther than you think to a place to get the headlight fixed. If any of those tools are beyond your means, leave them behind. Now that you have packed all that stuff, go back and remove about half of it and double the amount of cash you packed. DO NOT UNPACK THE DUCT TAPE!!! You have to do two things to cover lots of miles in a short amount of time and speeding is NOT one of them. Keep your ass in contact with the seat, and your hand on the throttle. If you are drinking a coke, having a smoke, talking to the hot chick at the gas stop, you are not covering miles. Pump, piss, pay and ride!!! The good IronButt riders do this in 5 minutes or less, a little longer if you need to refill your water supply. Learning how much water, how ofter is an art. The trick is to take in enough to stay hydrated, yet not have to stop an pee. You have to sweat it out as you take it in. Very tough to balance. Drink a LOT of water about 20-30 miles before your gas stops. The only time you drink any soda is at night if you need a blast of energy, and that is Mountain Dew or Mellow Yellow. Those two have more caffeine than any other and WILL keep you awake... and make you pee... Sleep, The very first time you catch yourself nodding off, and you will, STOP!!! a power nap of no more than 20 minutes will let you go on for several more hours. On my 100CCC, I slept a total of 45 minutes between Jacksonville and San Diego and that was three power naps. Stop at a rest area, leave your helmet and riding gear ON (ear plugs in) and lay down on a table. If you sleep more than 20 minutes, you might as well stay for 8 hours. After you get to REM sleep, it is damn hard to wake back up and be alert. Get a Screamin' Meanie alarm from a truck stop. Those things will wake up people that have been dead for three years, and every person in a cheap motel (don't ask, those people had NO sense of humor at all...) There is more, but I'll let you digest this for now. If you are still thinking about it, post questions here and I'll try to help you out. It's past my bed time.... One last thing, how much will all this cost? How much will the trip cost? Would that money be better used donating it to the cause you are trying to raise money for? Ironbutt riders travel long distances like this to challenge themselves and their abilities. It is work and takes training and preparation. If done wrong, you can hurt yourself. Doing 1000 miles in a day is EASY and just about anyone can do it...for one day. Day two, three, four, and five will kick your ass and laugh at you... The average long distance (ironbutt) rider will drop about 20% of his or her doable distance every day after 3 days of 1000 miles per day. If you have never done 1500 miles in 24 hours, what are your chances of doing 1000 miles on day 8? Best of luck if you decide to do it, I'll help you in any way I can. Randell | ||
| Roc |
Just go. I did a trip like that in October of 2001. I was going to go to California but I couldn't get a hold of a buddy down there so I called a friend in Illinois. The Illinois buddy was going to motorcycle races that weekend so I packed some stuff on the bike and left a little after noon on Wednesday. I made it to Carrolton at around midnight on Friday. After Illinois I went to Indianapolis Indiana, it was the closest Ducati shop, for tires/chain/lube. After that I just pulled out the map and went where I wanted to go that day. In all I think I rode just under 8,000 miles in 14 days, 2-3 days of that were under 100 mile days. I rode long days and I did it how I felt like doing it. I slept in late, drank a lot of coffee and red bull, went as fast as I could when I didn’t think I would get a ticket, and stayed in the worst hotels – except when in Vegas. I never made it to a 1,000 mile day. One night I was checking into a crappy motel and I was overjoyed to see another motorcycle in the parking lot, as I took that to mean I could also park there without fear of bike theft. Well about midnight I looked out the window and noticed the other rider was putting his bike in his room, naturally I did likewise. That same night someone started pounding on my door about 4am and asking for directions. I told them to leave, as loudly and obscenely as I could, and if they would have broken through my door I would have shot them. People will talk to you at gas stations and some will ask where you are going, if you tell them the truth you best be thick skinned. One old guy in Texas told me I was a “damn fool” and a young guy told me, while finishing a beer and tossing 2-3 empties out of his Explorer, “boy it’s Friday you need to stay here and find yourself some fun.” In that trip I learned: mini-pickups should not tow full size pickups, semi trucks wreck and catch fire in spectacular fashion, if you are passing a semi truck and one of it’s tires starts to smoke you should gun it, if the storm is bad enough there will not be a hotel vacancy for at least 6 exits, you can outrun isolated thunder storms, every city has bad traffic that you need to plan around, some exits should not be take under any circumstance- these are often marked by burned out cars, and the south has crazy bugs. If you go you should take and use an electric vest. You should drink something and have a snack every time you get gas. Absolutely use ear plugs, a long day without them made me feel kind of punch drunk. You should go. America is a beautiful place, except maybe Wyoming, and you will never forget the first time you stop and everyone has an accent. | ||
| Littlebuggles |
Alex, I've got a garage, tools, food, and an extra bed if you pass through Salt Lake City, I'm not more than two minutes off of I-15. -Mike | ||
| Cowboy |
Hi.... This story is a little off from the main topic it is some what related. I left western central Louisiana, on Dec. 31 2003 at 11 am (toledo Bend area) and headed for Tuson on Jan 4 2004 at 4 pm I pulled back in my drive way,2800 miles I used 80 to 85% of a new rear tire. I think it is a good run for a 67 yr.old dude. By the way I would like to think the folks at Barnetts HD-Buell for the nice tour of thier store very nice people. I was in the saddle only 55 to 60 hrs | ||
| Stingaroo |
What kinds of tires would you guys recommend for a trip like this? | ||
| Country |
I know a couple of guys out in Cali who would love to help for a cause like this. Just let me know and I can post up on another site. | ||
| Oz666 |
I'm getting 7K+ from D220 (rear) and I'm no lightweight. Grip is indistinguishable from the D205.  Oz | ||
| Newfie_buell |
I went to Bridgestons Battlax BT-010 for the 20th Anniversary Trip and found them to be stick, yet lasted about twice as long as the old 207s. I will definately go for another set. | ||
| Oz666 |
and Bridgestone has that free front tire thing going on now... Oz | ||
| Awprior |
I got around 6k out of my first set of D207s. That wasn't riding terribly hard though. I've got the tire change en route on the list. I appreciate everyone's advice with this, I'm seeing that this needs more planning, but is definitely doable, and I am still planning on going. I am definitely going to need to invest in a different set of riding gear, possible a 'Stich. I'm sure I'd like wearing a full set of Vansons that entire way. I've also looked at the waterproof Alpinestars SMX boots, so if anyone knows where to get either cheap, that would be awesome. One of the things that continues to amaze me is the support that Buell enthusiasts have for each other, our causes and motorcycling in general. It never ceases to amaze me. Keep the advice rolling, I'll update you all as my plans come together. |
